Samara Blog 8: Where do I go from here?

I must say that almost all of the books we were asked to read for this class are most likely books I would have never picked up on my own. However, I am glad that I have had the opportunity to read all of them. It is important to read books out of your comfort zone and some of these were way out for me. I have learned a lot from all of the selections chosen, but four of the books had a significant inpact on me as a writer.

I not only enjoyed The White Tiger as a reader but also as a writer. I found that Adiga's style of writing suited the story he told exceptoionally well. I think that writing the truth can sometimes be a challenge and Adiga rose to that challenge. Even though his work is a piece of fiction it is clear that he has an agenda to tell about life in India from a persepective that is not often heard from.

The Prince of Tides will most likely be the biggest help to my writing. I struggle with setting in my works. I get so involved in the characters and the dialogue that I tend to forget about setting all together. Conroy's writing changed that for me. The minute I began to read this book my eyes grew wider and wider at all of his descriptions of setting and how he actually made the setting another character in the novel. I also feel this way about Lime Tree Can't Bear Orange. The descriptions of the people in this novel are wonderful. Each character is so clearly rendered that the reader would know this person if she met any of these characters in the street.

Olive Kitteridge is a novel that I will come back to often to look at usage of point of view. I am awed by Strout's use of point of view within her novel. Each chapter lends itself to a specific person's voice and Strout is able to execute this effectively. Point of view can make or break a piece of writing. Some stories are meant to be told from a distance and some are meant to be up close and personal.

Without a doubt I learned something from each and every book we read in this class. I also learned that it is okay to come out of your comfort zone as a reader because it just might make you a better writer.